Guardian
by Tanuki-Mara
Summary: Fred and George always shared everything . . . until it came to Harry. Fred's decided that he's keeping Harry as his. Will George support his brother, or resent Harry for coming between them? For Kamerreon's Extra Plunnies Challenge


Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.

Challenge from Kamerreon

Points to anyone who gets the Ouran High reference

* * *

**Guardian**

* * *

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

Fred still remembered when he had been eight, and Percy had recited a quote for them from some Muggle named Aris-turtle or something. Fred wasn't exactly sure on the name, but the quote had stuck with him for a long time.

_Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies._

Fred's eyes had gone as wide as saucers, his breath catching. A single soul dwelling in two bodies. Fred's shining blue eyes had shot to his brother, who was across the room taunting Ron. That was George and him. One soul. Two bodies. Always together.

Inseparable, Fred stuck with his brother through everything. Their parents thought they'd grow out of it, but they had only grown closer.

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

Fred would never admit it, but he was terrified in his first year at Hogwarts, when he had been called up to the Sorting Hat first. His whole family had been in Gryffindor, but what if he wasn't? What if he was placed in another house, away from George? Fred was horrified at the very notion. He never wanted to be apart from his twin.

But he had been placed in Gryffindor. Which started a whole new round of anxiety. What if _George _was placed somewhere else? The twins always teased Ron, telling him he would be a Hufflepuff, but what if George was a Hufflepuff? Or worse, a _Slytherin. _They were both certainly sneaky enough for it.

And then the hat had screamed out Gryffindor, and McGonagall had sent a relieved George scurrying straight to his side, and into a fierce hug.

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

That was how things always were. Always would be. They did everything together, shared everything, they were never apart.

Until their final year at Hogwarts, 1996, and Fred found something he did not want to share.

And was willing to give up George for it.

--

It had started innocently enough. Fred had been creating a well-placed diversion in the corridor outside Umbridge's office so that George could execute a truly beautiful prank a couple of floors up. Someone had opened the door, obviously leaving detention for the night, and Fred had paused.

It was Harry. That wasn't unusual in itself; he was almost always in detention with Umbridge these days. No, what caught Fred's attention was the way Harry had brought his scarred hand to his face, and was delicately licking the blood off.

Fred was mesmerized. He stood there, staring as Harry's pink tongue darted out of his mouth and slid over his hand, lapping up the blood that stained it. As it gathered the last of the blood it slid back into his mouth, running along his full, plump lower lip as it did so.

"Oh, hello, Fred, I didn't see you there!"

Fred blinked stupidly at Harry for a moment, the fuse for the Muggle firecrackers hanging limply between two fingers.

"Hey there, Harry," he managed to choke out as he stared down into Harry's emerald eyes. Harry stopped in front of him, smiling sweetly. "Detention as usual?"

A shadow crossed into Harry's eyes, making Fred wish he had never spoken. He nodded, covering his scarred hand with the other. Fred dropped the fuse, reaching into his pocket to dig out a bandage. He and George kept them on hand, as their pranks often got a bit out of hand.

He quickly took Harry's hand, wrapping it deftly in the material. Harry didn't protest, but Fred could see his other hand trembling.

"I hate her," Harry whispered, looking down at his shoes as Fred tied the bandage off. "I hate her so much..."

"She isn't worth your hate, Harry," Fred whispered. "Come on, help me light this."

Fred bent down, scooping up the fuse. Harry grinned at the sight of it before raising his wand.

"_Incendio._"

The fuse caught immediately, and Fred dropped it. He grabbed Harry by the hand before diving straight through a nearby wall. The fake stone hid a passage leading down a number of floors, depositing them right outside the kitchens. If anyone asked, they were getting a snack before curfew.

Harry laughed loudly as he ran along a step behind Fred. His hand was warm in Fred's, and for some reason the Weasley didn't want to let go. They reached the other side of the passage and paused to catch their breath.

"Brilliant!" Harry said, his eyes sparkling. "I love firecrackers!"

"They are useful," Fred said as he finally let go of Harry's hand. "That should have had enough teachers running. George should have done his part by now."

Harry giggled slightly, leaning on Fred in the small passage. Fred felt his heart speed up as he slid an arm around Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at the older Gryffindor. Fred's breath caught as he stared down into Harry's stunning eyes.

"Um... should we, uh, head out?" Harry whispered. Fred nodded, but didn't look away from Harry.

"Yeah..." he murmured. Harry blushed a brilliant scarlet, much like Ron often did, before staring down at his feet. Fred blinked a couple of times as the contact was broken before stepping out into the corridor, steering Harry by the arm around his shoulders.

"Come, young hero! We shall celebrate our victory with a feast for Kings!"

--

It only got worse. Harry was everywhere, with his damn soft hair, his wide eyes and his stupidly delicious smell. Who actually smelt like apples? Honestly.

Fred knew he was growing more and more attracted to Harry, so he covered it up, spending more time with his twin. George didn't seem to notice that Fred, who was always nearby, was now basically plastered to his side. Fred refused to let George out of his sight for more than a few minutes, except to use the toilet.

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

It got worse. Fred was being consumed with his desire for Harry, combined with his guilt over George. He was torn between the two, stuck in a hopeless loop of despair.

And then Fred saw it. The girls. It started with Cho Chang, who was watching Harry with large, doe eyes. From the way Harry blushed in return, he was not opposed to her interest. And Fred noticed his sister, of course, who had always been watching Harry, but now with something more grown-up in her eyes than the adoration of a hero she held since she was eleven.

And Fred was astounded by the depth of his jealousy. He wanted to wrap his arms around Harry, dragging them away from their watching eyes. He wanted to shut Harry away from the world, until they were all convinced he belonged with Fred.

And it was with this in mind that Fred sat down alone one evening and had a serious think about his feelings for Harry. They were strong, too strong to be ignored now, and Fred found he was sick of ignoring them. He didn't want to shy away from them; he wanted to revel in them. He wanted to share them with Harry.

Determined, Fred left George's side for the first time in weeks, heading out of the Gryffindor common room and towards Umbridge's office.

He was sick of repressing his feelings. George would understand. It wasn't like Fred had never dated anyone before. George hadn't cared before, why would he care now.

With his mind set, Fred began to run, a wide grin growing on his face.

--

When Fred arrived at Umbridge's office, Harry was just leaving. Fred waited until he was out of earshot of the office before hurrying towards Harry, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him into the secret passage they used all those weeks ago.

"What the hel-" Harry cut himself off abruptly as he looked up at Fred. Fred grinned down at him, slightly nervous.

"Alright there, Harry," he said with a nod. Harry blinked back up at him. Fred quickly dug out a bandage for Harry's hand, wrapping the injury deftly.

"Fred," Harry greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, waiting for you," Fred said, serious for once. This wasn't a time for jokes. "I wanted to... that is... you see, Harry..."

Harry grinned up at Fred, a wide bright smile Fred hadn't seen in ages.

"Fred, I get it," Harry said, a blush dancing on his face. "Um... you're kinda obvious. You kept glaring at Cho, and your sister. And you wouldn't stop staring at me..."

Fred was one of the luck Weasley's – he never blushed the tomato colour Ron, Percy and Ginny could produce. Yet at the moment he could feel his face enflaming as bright as Ron in the peak of embarrassment.

"Oh..." Fred stepped back from Harry, his face growing brighter and brighter. "I, uh, I didn't know..."

"It's ok," Harry said, his own blush increasing. "I, um... I didn't mind."

With that, Harry reached out and took Fred's hand. Fred stared down at their entwined fingers, a look of wonder on his face. He looked at Harry, seeing the encouragement and warmth in his eyes.

"You sure?" he croaked. "I mean, the others, Cho and-"

"I'm sure," Harry said, giving their hands a squeeze. "Why would I have them, when I can have you?"

Fred's grin was so wide it threatened to split his face. He tugged Harry along by their joined hands, leading him towards the kitchens.

"I think this calls for a celebration! Shall we have Butterbeer? Or blow up a toilet?"

Harry's delighted laugh echoed around the passage, warming Fred's insides.

--

Fred grinned as Harry gave a soft sigh, leaning his head against Fred's shoulder. Fred shifted his arm from Harry's waist to his shoulder, pulling him closer. He looked back up at the view from the Astronomy Tower, but his eyes were soon drawn back down to Harry.

Shuffling, Harry squirmed slightly, trying to get comfortable. With another sigh he stretched his legs straight out, his head dropping down into Fred's lap. Fred buried his hands in Harry's hair, earning a gentle mew for the action. He stroked Harry's hair softly, smiling as his boyfriend closed his eyes and relaxed.

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Harry had taken his hand in that passage. Three days since they discussed telling everyone about each other. And three hours since they actually did.

Fred had been in the Common Room, waiting anxiously for Harry. His boyfriend had finally appeared, looking equally anxious, at the entrance to the dorms. Fred had watched how he had taken a deep breath, squared his shoulders, before stepping confidently towards him. Fred had met him half way, nervously wrapping his arms around Harry's waist, before Harry leaned up and kissed him softly.

It was their first kiss, and the whole of Gryffindor House had witnessed it.

But it had been a smart thing for Harry to do. Fred had been too distracted by the lips on his and the hands winding in his hair, to listen to the gasps and whispers around him. When Harry had drawn back, scant seconds later, the first thing Fred had done was look for George.

His eyes passed over a pale Ron, a blushing Hermione and a betrayed-looking Ginny to rest on his brother. George had looked from Harry to Fred before a wide grin had split his face.

"Nice on, Fred!" he had shouted over the hushed voices. "Harry! Welcome to the family, properly this time!"

The words had broken the spell on the Lions, and applause broke out. People shouted questions, rushed forward to speak to them, but Fred had taken Harry's hand and dragged him straight to the portrait hole. They vanished through it, dashing down the corridor and away from the loud tower. Harry was grinning as they turned a corner, pausing to pull out his Invisibility Cloak. Fred had grinned back, but his mind was back in the Common Room.

George's grin hadn't reached his eyes.

Fred threw off the thoughts, smiling down at Harry. Harry had his eyes closed behind his glasses, the frames sitting slightly wonky on his face. Fred allowed one of his hands to trace Harry's face softly, dancing down his nose and over his lips.

"Fred," Harry mumbled, his lips moving against Fred's finger. "'m sleepy."

"I warn you, falling asleep leaves you open to attack," Fred teased. A single emerald eye creaked open to look up at him.

"You wouldn't prank your own boyfriend," he said, his brow crinkling cutely. "Would you?"

"Are you serious?" Fred asked, his eyes wide. "More than anyone!"

"Fred!"

"Harry!"

Harry propped himself up, glaring up at Fred through his glasses. He frowned for a moment before struggling up out of Fred's lap. Fred wrapped his arms quickly around Harry, tugging him back down.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked. Harry pouted.

"Up!" he snapped. "Let me go!"

"Oh my God, Harry," Fred cried dramatically. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That! Quick, I'll protect you!"

"What- ahh! Get off!"

"I'm protecting you!"

"You're heavy!"

"You say that now, but you'd rather my weight than the monster creeping around in the dark!"

"_What monster!_"

--

Fred threw a rock out at the lake and watched as it bounced along the water before falling in. He waited a moment before ducking as the rock was hurled back out at him by an irritated squid. He chuckled to himself before dropping down to sit on the ground, waiting patiently.

Ten minutes later George was there.

He sat behind Fred, leaning his back against his own. They remained in silence, their heads tilted back against each other as they simply watched the clouds go by.

"So... Harry..."

Fred closed his eyes as he read the undertones in George's voice. They always knew what each other meant.

'_Why didn't you tell me?_'

"Yeah. Harry."

'_I don't know._'

"Ginny was pretty upset. She and Ron might kick up a fuss."

'_Are you ready to deal with that? Is he worth it?_'

"That's their choice. Anyone who has a problem with this can go to hell."

'_He's worth it. I'll tell them that, I'll tell anyone that, even you._'

"Right... very sneaky, by the way, I had no idea. You did me proud, little brother."

'_You could have told me._'

"I'm not the little brother! You're the little brother!"

'_No, I couldn't. Are we ok?_'

"You keep telling yourself that, little brother!"

'_Yeah, we are._'

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

--

"-own brother! You _know _how I feel about him and you just ignored my feelings and-"

Fred repressed the urge to roll his eyes as Ginny continued her whispered rant. She had dragged him into the Transfiguration classroom and began to hiss at him.

"Ginny, shut up."

George slung a casual arm around Fred's shoulder as he looked down at their sister. Ginny turned bright red, but George simply tugged Fred closer.

"Look, Harry chose Fred," George said with a shrug. "And a fine choice it was. I mean, I may be the superior twin, but Fred is a good consolation prize, so as you can see-"

Fred elbowed George in the gut to shut him up, but he couldn't stop smiling. Of course, Ginny just gave them a scandalized look before stalking from the room. George pulled Fred closer into a one-armed hug before releasing him, sticking his head out the door of the classroom. He turned back, his eyes mischievous.

"Wait here," he ordered before darting out. Fred frowned, following him to the door. He looked out into the crowded corridor in time to see George dart to Harry, who was walking innocently down the corridor with Neville, and pull him into a hug.

"Hey, Neville," George said, nodding to him over Harry's head. "Don't mind me."

"H-Hi, Fred," Neville stuttered, his face growing slightly red. Fred watched, shocked that Harry thought George was him.

"Hey!" Fred's eyebrows shot up as he watched Harry struggled out of his twin's embrace. "Get off, George!"

The people that had stopped to listen began to whisper amongst themselves as Harry stalked down the corridor. Fred stepped out of the classroom and into his path.

"Fred!" Harry snapped as he stopped in front of him. "That was _not _funny!"

"It wasn't my idea," Fred said, raising his hand in defence. "He just did it. If I had known, I would have stopped him."

"It's not funny," Harry grumbled as he pouted, looking to the side. "Why would he... why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Fred mumbled, pulling Harry into his arms. Harry slumped against his chest and allowed himself to be led into the classroom. "Maybe... maybe he wanted to see if you could tell us apart."

"Why?" Harry asked, looking up at him. "Why would he?"

"It's something we used to do," Fred said with a shrug. "When someone told us they liked one of us, the other would go, to see if they could tell the difference. When they couldn't, the other would show up to embarrass them."

"Fred!" Harry scolded. "That's horrible!"

"But fun," Fred said with a grin. "I think it was his own way of testing you, to see if you were serious."

"Stupid George," Harry mumbled into Fred's robes. "Of course I'm serious."

Fred wrapped his arms tight around Harry, leaning his cheek against the mussy hair. He looked up at the entrance to the classroom and smiled at his brother, who grinned back. George turned to leave, but paused, looking over his shoulder. He winked at his twin, and Fred grinned.

_Twins. Always together. Fred and George. Always together. Gred and Forge. Always together._

He had his brother's approval.

_Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies._

But now, Harry was the guardian of one of those bodies.

* * *

Written back in October, 2009. Just found it.


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